Letters to the editor

Only the people can convince politicians to help preserve environmental future

When reading in the Morning Sun about climate change (Eric Baerren, “Climate change to cause new threats,” 7/4/14), it’s easy to feel helpless and to think that we as individuals can’t do anything about it. The good news is that there is a nonpartisan proposal endorsed by prominent leaders in both major parties that, if put into effect, would decrease CO2 emissions by 33 percent after only 10 years. It would also increase employment by some two million jobs.•

This proposal, put forth by the nonpartisan Citizens Climate Lobby, is for a revenue-neutral carbon tax with all revenue returned to households. Industries which extract coal, oil, and natural gas would pay a tax based on the amount of carbon they mine or pump. The government would not keep any of this tax, but refund it to households.

What’s the catch? We have to convince our representatives and Senators that they need to work together on this issue for the good of all. Please let them know that you care about the climate and that you want your children and grandchildren to have a livable world. It’s our government. Let’s make it work for us.

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-Cil Lorand, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Peter Konetchy to stand up for the people’s Constitutional rights

I quote Republican National Committee member Dave Agema, “Stand up, speak out, get involved, when we wake up we are power.”

Now is the people’s chance to be heard, get involved, VOTE.

Under our current administration we are in danger, our children and our grandchildren are in danger. America is being transformed and destroyed by our own government.

If you are looking for leadership from an individual who strongly believes in our Constitution, strongly believes in the rule of law, would do everything in his power to abolish the United Nations, would abolish the federal Department of Education, give control to the states, is pro-life, will help create jobs, would protect our Second Amendment rights, supports a strong military and defense, would help our veterans, would de-fund Obamacare, the candidate you need to support is Peter Konetchy.

-Fay Feldspausch, Fowler, Mich.

Time to embrace single lane queues

Have you ever heard about Line Rage (or Queue Rage)? Queue Rage occurs in busy Big Box stores such as Wal-Mart, Meijer, Target, and Home Depot at the checkouts when the lines don’t seem to move. You feel this when the line you almost picked moves faster. Or when a new checkout lane is opened and everyone behind you gets to go ahead of you. This method of check out is referred to as Multi Lane Queues.

Let’s change this method to Single Lane Queues. This is where everyone comes up to the “line forms here” sign and heads single file to the next available cashier. Disney World, airports, banks, Kohl’s and Wendy’s embrace this checkout method. Meijer does it at the service counter already, so why not at the registers?

I’m sure everyone has felt anxious toward the end of their shopping trip scrambling to look for the fastest checkout line. The Single Lane Queue could fix this because:

1) Everyone stands in one line, 2)You never pick a slow line or get trapped in one, 3) No one behind you gets to go ahead of you, 4) It’s first come, first serve, 5) It appeals to our sense of justice, 6) Anxiety and frustration are reduced so Queue Rage diminishes, and 7) It’s FAIR.

Studies have shown it also saves time standing in line.

I’d like to see this tried at the Big Box Stores here in Mt. Pleasant. How many of you would embrace the idea? I’m sure the retailer’s have reasons they don’t use the Single Lane Queue method, but what they have now is very frustrating and doesn’t make shoppers happy. It would take a little getting used to, but as Disney, Kohl’s, Wendy’s, banks and airports show, it does work.